Herpes on the rise in Australia

May 19, 2006

One in eight Australian adults has been infected with the virus causing genital herpes, with the rate one in five for women aged 35-44, a study said.

The first Australian study of herpes simplex virus infection -- published in the British journal "Sexually Transmitted Infections" -- also found 76 percent of Australian adults were exposed to the other main variant, HSV-1, which causes cold sores on the mouth and lips, The Australian reported Friday.

Genital infections, or HSV-2, were more than twice as common among women as men -- 16 percent to 8 percent, the study found.

The study was funded by drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, which is developing a vaccine for HSV-2.

Lead author Tony Cunningham, deputy chairman of the Australian Herpes Management Forum, said the findings were significant as HSV-2 trebled the chance of contracting HIV.

Cunningham said it was suspected but still unproven that a greater incidence of oral sex among adolescents was increasing the HSV-1 infection rate. Contrary to popular belief, this variant could infect the genital area, he said.

He also warned against oral sex for women in late pregnancy, as HSV-1 could be passed to the baby, with serious or fatal consequences in 25 percent of neonatal infections.

Related Stories

Australian biotech company Starpharma has announced the imminent launch of a condom coated with an antimicrobial chemical known as VivaGel. While it might be marketed as a great leap forward for preventing sexually transmitted ...

Monash Institute of Medical Research scientists have found a protein in the female reproductive tract that protects against sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) such as chlamydia and herpes simplex virus (HSV).

Recommended for you

An achievement by UCLA neuroscientists could lead to a better understanding of astrocytes, a type of cell in the brain that is thought to play a role in Lou Gehrig's disease, also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ...

An international team of researchers involving the University of Adelaide is tackling the controversy over what some scientists consider to be a "harmful" hormone, arguing that it could be a game changer in the fight against ...

Short telomeres—the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes—have been previously linked to increased risk of death from heart disease. Now, research by scientists at UC San Francisco and the Veterans Affairs Medical ...